KMPC, Los Angeles' Roger Carroll on Herb Alpert

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Michael Hagerty

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Tuesday's Laradio.com has this quote from longtime (1959-1980) KMPC, Los Angeles DJ and Herb Alpert friend Roger Carroll:

"Herb Alpert did his first interview on my show. He was laid back, quiet and low-key, responses short but to the point. When Herb became popular and started doing live concerts his personality started to show. He was still low key, laid back but a very quick wit and very relaxed when being interviewed. With all his success, Herb has not changed - still low key, laid back and has that quick wit. "


---Michael Hagerty
 
Thanks for that, Michael. I loved KMPC (and KGIL) back when I was a kid. My dad listened to them all the time. It's sad that KMPC is now KTZN and the LA outlet for Radio Disney...

--Mr Bill
 
Bill:
KMPC was all my parents listened to. It's because of that station that I'm in broadcasting. KGIL was pretty good too...in fact, the first time I heard Sergio's "Crystal Illusions" was on a foggy, atmospheric Sunday morning on KGIL. As soon as the record stores opened, I bought a copy.
KMPC has actually morphed a bit more. It became KTZN in 1994, re-christening itself as "The Zone" a talk station aimed at a female audience. When it became Radio Disney, it assumed the new calls "KDIS". This past January, Disney/ABC flipped stations, moving Radio Disney and the KDIS calls to 1110 AM (the old KRLA) and making 710 KSPN, ESPN Sports Radio.
The KMPC calls went to a small AM station in Abilene, Texas until three years ago, when 1540 in L.A. (the old KPOL) grabbed them for its new sportstalk format. Last month, the station repositioned itself as "1540-The Ticket"...using the KMPC calls only once an hour for legal ID.
But in the 60s and much of the 70s, KMPC was amazing...and, because of relationships (not only is Roger Carroll a friend of Herb's, Johnny Magnus wrote the liner notes for Jobim's "Wave" LP) and physical proximity (go out the gate at 1416 N. LaBrea, hang a right at the first light and drive less than a mile to KMPC's old home on Sunset), it seemed for much of that time that if it was on A&M, it was also on KMPC.
For a great trip down memory lane, go to www.710kmpc.com
Here's a sample...a photo of Roger Carroll with both Herb and Burt Bacharach.


herbandBurt.jpg



---Michael Hagerty[/img]
 
Dan:
KMPC is certainly where Gary Owens became famous. His start was in his hometown of Mitchell, South Dakota at KORN (honest!) in 1952. From there, it was KMA, Shenandoah, Iowa; KOMA, Omaha; KIMN, Denver; KILT, Houston; KTSA, San Antonio, WNOE, New Orleans; WIL, St. Louis, KEWB, Oakland; and KFWB, Los Angeles.
Gary moved to KMPC in 1962, and during the 6 years leading up to Laugh-In's debut in 1968, pretty much owned Los Angeles afternoon radio (along with Dave Hull on KRLA before 1965 and The Real Don Steele on KHJ after '65).
Gary continued at KMPC until 1980, and has since worked at KPRZ, KKGO, KFI and KJQY. He's now doing early afternoons on KLAC, Los Angeles and is also heard nationally on The Music Of Your Life.
 
Thanks so much for sharing the item about the story of Roger Carroll and his memory of his interview with Herb. I have been most fortunate to have been able to meet Roger via the i-net, thanks to a mutual ABC-TV announcer acquaintance in N.Y. It has been my privilege to chat with Roger who, as it turns out and wasn't known to me until last year, is one of my 3 all time favorite network television announcers from the 60's and 70's...Dick Tufeld (robot voice on old CBS-TV series Lost In Space and ABC & NBC network announcer) and Hank Simms (voice of all QM Production T-V shows like FBI/Streets of San Francisco/Barnaby Jones and Academy Awards in the 60s...being the other 2. These guys are the ones who inspired me to be an announcer. I must share with you that Roger is a very gracious gentleman and one heck of an announcer. If you are old enough to remember, he was the voice on NBC-TV show opens including (I can hear him saying this now because I used to tune in to hear him say it)..."McMillan and Wife!". Yeh, I know I'm weird but I gotta tell ya, Roger, Dick and Hank were the cream of the crop...the best of the best when it comes to fine network booth announcers! Also, Roger shared with me this same story about his interview with Herb on KMPC. He also says that he sees, as I recall, Herb and Jerry from time to time at a couple of spots in L-A and he says they are the same, friendly, gracious, down to earth guys as they were when whole TJB/A&M thing began for them in the early 1960'.s Let's hear it for the big guys, Herb, Jerry and, last but not least, Roger Carroll, who hit the big time nationally and still are gracious gentleman. Thanks guys!

Tom...(still admiring and striving for the voice dynamics/quality of Roger Carroll, Dick Tufeld, & Hank Simms! :cool:
 
Tom:
I, too, have been fortunate enough to carry on an e-mail correspondence with Roger over the past six or seven years (an introduction made by my friend, former L.A. DJ Bill(y) Pearl. Especially meaningful for me, since Roger Carroll is the first person I remember listening to on the radio(a memory from age 4).A terrific guy who also lists among his credits having been the announcer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and all the Herb Alpert specials.
Roger and Herb's brother Dave are close friends and socialize.
 
Michael Hagerty said:
Dan:
KMPC is certainly where Gary Owens became famous. His start was in his hometown of Mitchell, South Dakota at KORN (honest!) in 1952. From there, it was KMA, Shenandoah, Iowa; KOMA, Omaha; KIMN, Denver; KILT, Houston; KTSA, San Antonio, WNOE, New Orleans; WIL, St. Louis, KEWB, Oakland; and KFWB, Los Angeles.
Gary moved to KMPC in 1962, and during the 6 years leading up to Laugh-In's debut in 1968, pretty much owned Los Angeles afternoon radio (along with Dave Hull on KRLA before 1965 and The Real Don Steele on KHJ after '65).
Gary continued at KMPC until 1980, and has since worked at KPRZ, KKGO, KFI and KJQY. He's now doing early afternoons on KLAC, Los Angeles and is also heard nationally on The Music Of Your Life.


Wow! He certainly got around, didn't he? He has to be the quintessential DJ character stereotype, both in voice and on camera. Thanks for the info.

Dan, remembering Morgo, the Friendly Drelb...
 
Michael Hagerty said:
(an introduction made by my friend, former L.A. DJ Bill(y) Pearl.

Slightly off the path here--back in the mid 70's, our high school had a radio class. One of their featured shows was a Billy Pearl "countdown" of sorts. The older brother of the girl I grew up with brought all of the LPs of the show home (since he was in the radio class), and we played those a lot. It was the era of Sedaka, Captain & Tenille, Elton John, etc. I've wondered for years if I had the correct name in my memory banks...apparently so. :)
 
Rudy:
Billy Pearl (along with Roger Carroll and Wolfman Jack) did half-hour radio shows for the U.S. Air Force. Good filler material...only ads were for the air force, usually well-produced...and it boosted your public service annnouncement quota (back when there was such a thing) big time.
Billy, in my book, is the all-time best nighttime teen jock in L.A. history. A local kid who drove 70 miles each way to his first gig at KUTY in Palmdale and within a couple of years was on KKDJ (LA's first FM Top 40 station), K-100 and KHJ. Shortly after leaving KHJ, Billy went to law school. When he resurfaced on the air, he'd dropped the "y" and was Bill Pearl...did a very successful few years in afternoon drive at talkradio KABC, Los Angeles in a show called "Duelling Bills", with now-national commentator (but then an up-and-coming local guy) Bill Press.
For the past 15 years or so, Bill's been devoting full time to his law practice.
If you've never heard him, you can...a terrific aircheck of The Real Don Steele and Billy Pearl on K-100 from 1974 is at www.reelradio.com
the link to the aircheck itself is posted below. When you get to it, just press the green "play" button (assuming you have RealAudio).

http://www.reelradio.com/tt/index.html#rdsbpk100
 
And so no one can say this is totally off-topic, the aircheck ends with an A&M hit! You'll have to listen to find out which one.....

---Michael Hagerty
 
I was listening to "KINGS RADIO" 103.3 in Lindsay, California. I heard the announcer - Jay Stevens, a great LA Voice - and then the music. I thought to myself, "what a great play list, as close as I've heard to that old KMPC sound - but even better. The only thing missing is the voice. The VOICE of Roger Carroll". I remember back when I was lucky enough to meet him face to face. What a voice and a great person to match. I lived in Belmont Shore and Roger was the Grand Marshal of the local holiday parade. Jay Stevens is a friend and I think hes a great radio programmer as well as a DJ. But If KINGS RADIO had Roger Carroll - it would be the greatest radio station ever. And all of those A&M hits. WOW. You always think of what it would be like -- IF YOU were the station manager or PD. Jay Stevens and Roger Carroll would be on my stations. :D
 
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